Teachers have stopped teaching?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because of 10th grade PARCC testing, my High School kids once again do not report to school till 11:30am. 4 hours lost of instructional time. I don't understand why the whole school is affected because of AP and PARCC testing. My kids have been part time students this entire marking period. They will have another missed day for high school graduation. Seriously, isn't there something more educational that the school could come up with than say "Don't come to school"?

DCPS parent, MCPS teacher.
My kids are just going to school and sitting in the class talking and complaining how students are acting out, fighting and somehow none of the parents seem to complain.

I wish the school told students to stay home until 11:30 am.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach summer school and tutor most of the school year. I don't just do summer tutoring. I don't even know where/what grade I will teach for summer school. So no, I have not stopped teaching. Our administration is still doing informal observations to get ready for our reaccreditation in a few weeks. Not all teachers have stopped teaching. But maybe if you just keep repeating yourself...

You're repeating yourself a lot. You sound annoyed. No one is picking you out as failing to complete your work - but you have to know that there are plenty of disappointed parents where the teachers are failing to keep working.

Most of my students' parents are a disappointment to me too. So it works both ways.

That's different. They don't have a paid obligation towards you or your children to work. you and every other teacher does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because of 10th grade PARCC testing, my High School kids once again do not report to school till 11:30am. 4 hours lost of instructional time. I don't understand why the whole school is affected because of AP and PARCC testing. My kids have been part time students this entire marking period. They will have another missed day for high school graduation. Seriously, isn't there something more educational that the school could come up with than say "Don't come to school"?

Like what? And with what money and staffing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm hoping my child's teacher is using his computer time in class to be looking for another job. It is no surprise that kids are failing county finals when teachers are not teaching to the end.

Exactly. It is shocking that teachers who complain about "teaching to the test" don't use that time to give creative lessons. Meanwhile, the rest of the world's educated elites pass us by....looks like I'll be moving or digging deep for private school.

[Anonymous]

I certainly agree that May can be a wasted time in schools due to the overabundance of testing, as well as the early graduation of seniors, but I do not blame the teachers. Many teachers of 11th and 12th graders have only a small handful of students in class during the two week period over which AP exams are given. It's virtually impossible to try to provide meaningful instruction to literally a handful of random students while this is happening, so many assign a long term independent project or even show a movie. Then seniors have exams and leave the building before Memorial Day, which also causes a disruption and leaves many upper level classes with only a small number of younger students left until the end of the year. Why don't seniors stay until the end of the year like everyone else? The reason students don't come in until 11:30 on some testing days is because the staff is needed to administer the standardized tests. Each testing room requires both an examiner and a proctor, and rooms that provide accommodations are very heavily staffed for things like individual "read to" accommodations or "dictation" where a teacher must be present to write down everything a student dictates. Students with extended time usually have two sets of examiners and proctors so split up the time on tests that end up lasting 4+ hours. All of these people must be certified teachers, so almost everyone in the building is occupied during a morning of testing. There's no way schools could provide instruction if the rest of the building came to school those mornings because there are simply not enough adult bodies. I agree that the system is ridiculous and that there's way too much testing, but that's the reality of the situation. It's one reason why it's ridiculous for schools to day open until mid-June and then extend the year for snow days. We need instruction time prior to May testing, not during or after.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I certainly agree that May can be a wasted time in schools due to the overabundance of testing, as well as the early graduation of seniors, but I do not blame the teachers. Many teachers of 11th and 12th graders have only a small handful of students in class during the two week period over which AP exams are given. It's virtually impossible to try to provide meaningful instruction to literally a handful of random students while this is happening, so many assign a long term independent project or even show a movie. Then seniors have exams and leave the building before Memorial Day, which also causes a disruption and leaves many upper level classes with only a small number of younger students left until the end of the year. Why don't seniors stay until the end of the year like everyone else? The reason students don't come in until 11:30 on some testing days is because the staff is needed to administer the standardized tests. Each testing room requires both an examiner and a proctor, and rooms that provide accommodations are very heavily staffed for things like individual "read to" accommodations or "dictation" where a teacher must be present to write down everything a student dictates. Students with extended time usually have two sets of examiners and proctors so split up the time on tests that end up lasting 4+ hours. All of these people must be certified teachers, so almost everyone in the building is occupied during a morning of testing. There's no way schools could provide instruction if the rest of the building came to school those mornings because there are simply not enough adult bodies. I agree that the system is ridiculous and that there's way too much testing, but that's the reality of the situation. It's one reason why it's ridiculous for schools to day open until mid-June and then extend the year for snow days. We need instruction time prior to May testing, not during or after.

Teachers still have an obligation to teach, no matter how many students are in the room. Why not have review sessions to prepare for the upcoming exams? Why not use the opportunity to reteach areas that students who are present may be weak in? I understand why you do not want to teach new material but why not review with the kids who are present? Perhaps the kids that are in your class (non-AP students) need the extra help. A much better option than watching a movie.

[Anonymous]

At dinner tonight my HS child announced that she will have ANOTHER HALF DAY TOMORROW. Why didn't MCPS communicate the schedule in advance to parents? Why are there 4 days of PARCC testing this year? Is that the same number of days it took to take the HSAs?

Seriously - the kids never have a full week of school anymore. Why not compact the schedule so school start after Labor Day and end by Memorial Day? The kids go to school through mid-June but high school kids are learning nothing.

[Anonymous]

How much you want to bet math exam scores will once again be in the toilet in June? Is it any wonder since they are watching movies in class for the month of May?

[Anonymous]

I teach an AP Language and Composition class in MCPS. The day after the AP exam, my students started reading The Great Gatsby. Once we finish that, they'll also be doing a college research paper to prepare for next year, and that will count as their final exam grade.

Some of us are still teaching, and some of us have planned accordingly for student absences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I certainly agree that May can be a wasted time in schools due to the overabundance of testing, as well as the early graduation of seniors, but I do not blame the teachers. Many teachers of 11th and 12th graders have only a small handful of students in class during the two week period over which AP exams are given. It's virtually impossible to try to provide meaningful instruction to literally a handful of random students while this is happening, so many assign a long term independent project or even show a movie. Then seniors have exams and leave the building before Memorial Day, which also causes a disruption and leaves many upper level classes with only a small number of younger students left until the end of the year. Why don't seniors stay until the end of the year like everyone else? The reason students don't come in until 11:30 on some testing days is because the staff is needed to administer the standardized tests. Each testing room requires both an examiner and a proctor, and rooms that provide accommodations are very heavily staffed for things like individual "read to" accommodations or "dictation" where a teacher must be present to write down everything a student dictates. Students with extended time usually have two sets of examiners and proctors so split up the time on tests that end up lasting 4+ hours. All of these people must be certified teachers, so almost everyone in the building is occupied during a morning of testing. There's no way schools could provide instruction if the rest of the building came to school those mornings because there are simply not enough adult bodies. I agree that the system is ridiculous and that there's way too much testing, but that's the reality of the situation. It's one reason why it's ridiculous for schools to day open until mid-June and then extend the year for snow days. We need instruction time prior to May testing, not during or after.

Teachers still have an obligation to teach, no matter how many students are in the room. Why not have review sessions to prepare for the upcoming exams? Why not use the opportunity to reteach areas that students who are present may be weak in? I understand why you do not want to teach new material but why not review with the kids who are present? Perhaps the kids that are in your class (non-AP students) need the extra help. A much better option than watching a movie.

I agree. How about current events? How about a debate? Riddles? Trivial Pursuit, Name That State, etc... ANYTHING but showing a freakin movie! I am so sick of my kids from ages K to 9th watching movies in school. Recess, half days, day before winter break, day before Spring Break, end of year. It never ends.

I honestly want school to go year round because all of this crap about 1-2 weeks of introduction and testing and then the same crap at the end of the year. The teacher and students have checked out. Must be nice to have a job that you get summers off but STILL can't work until the last day. The cleaning and prepping of rooms. It is such a waste of time. School needs to go year round. They get off the month of July, 2 weeks off based on the 10 day Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur calendar. 1 week off for Thanksgiving, 2 weeks off for Winter Break, 2 weeks of Spring Break. ZERO teacher days or half days since they have so many breaks. The only individual days off should be Labor Day, Memorial Day, MLK day and President's Day. Turn those into 4 day weekends. The End.

[Anonymous]

Would things be different if teachers were assigned to a cohort of kids for 2 or more years instead of just one?

[Anonymous]

During 2 weeks of AP testing, no math taught in my child's high school class. Then 2 days of new material followed by a unit test many kids bombed. What??? Why wasn't the teacher reviewing material with kids that were present? Why show movies that had no bearing on the coursework? The teacher was in class for those 2 weeks and was not being utilized as a testing staffer. Why didn't he teach?

This is what MCPS union protected workforce has come down to. Teachers need to start loosing their job if they are not doing it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:During 2 weeks of AP testing, no math taught in my child's high school class. Then 2 days of new material followed by a unit test many kids bombed. What??? Why wasn't the teacher reviewing material with kids that were present? Why show movies that had no bearing on the coursework? The teacher was in class for those 2 weeks and was not being utilized as a testing staffer. Why didn't he teach?

This is what MCPS union protected workforce has come down to. Teachers need to start loosing their job if they are not doing it.

Why don't you bring this question up to the teacher?

[Anonymous]

This is what MCPS union protected workforce has come down to. Teachers need to start loosing their job if they are not doing it.

I don't even know where to begin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I certainly agree that May can be a wasted time in schools due to the overabundance of testing, as well as the early graduation of seniors, but I do not blame the teachers. Many teachers of 11th and 12th graders have only a small handful of students in class during the two week period over which AP exams are given. It's virtually impossible to try to provide meaningful instruction to literally a handful of random students while this is happening, so many assign a long term independent project or even show a movie. Then seniors have exams and leave the building before Memorial Day, which also causes a disruption and leaves many upper level classes with only a small number of younger students left until the end of the year. Why don't seniors stay until the end of the year like everyone else? The reason students don't come in until 11:30 on some testing days is because the staff is needed to administer the standardized tests. Each testing room requires both an examiner and a proctor, and rooms that provide accommodations are very heavily staffed for things like individual "read to" accommodations or "dictation" where a teacher must be present to write down everything a student dictates. Students with extended time usually have two sets of examiners and proctors so split up the time on tests that end up lasting 4+ hours. All of these people must be certified teachers, so almost everyone in the building is occupied during a morning of testing. There's no way schools could provide instruction if the rest of the building came to school those mornings because there are simply not enough adult bodies. I agree that the system is ridiculous and that there's way too much testing, but that's the reality of the situation. It's one reason why it's ridiculous for schools to day open until mid-June and then extend the year for snow days. We need instruction time prior to May testing, not during or after.

Teachers still have an obligation to teach, no matter how many students are in the room. Why not have review sessions to prepare for the upcoming exams? Why not use the opportunity to reteach areas that students who are present may be weak in? I understand why you do not want to teach new material but why not review with the kids who are present? Perhaps the kids that are in your class (non-AP students) need the extra help. A much better option than watching a movie.

I agree. How about current events? How about a debate? Riddles? Trivial Pursuit, Name That State, etc... ANYTHING but showing a freakin movie! I am so sick of my kids from ages K to 9th watching movies in school. Recess, half days, day before winter break, day before Spring Break, end of year. It never ends.

I honestly want school to go year round because all of this crap about 1-2 weeks of introduction and testing and then the same crap at the end of the year. The teacher and students have checked out. Must be nice to have a job that you get summers off but STILL can't work until the last day. The cleaning and prepping of rooms. It is such a waste of time. School needs to go year round. They get off the month of July, 2 weeks off based on the 10 day Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur calendar. 1 week off for Thanksgiving, 2 weeks off for Winter Break, 2 weeks of Spring Break. ZERO teacher days or half days since they have so many breaks. The only individual days off should be Labor Day, Memorial Day, MLK day and President's Day. Turn those into 4 day weekends. The End.

+1000